The present invention is directed toward a portable and collapsible workstation stand and more particularly, toward a stand that may be attached to a piece of luggage, the back of a chair or airplane seat or used alone and which may be used as a desk or headrest.
An increasing number of people today must work while traveling or find that they are traveling more for work. Also, many business people have portable offices. In which case, they do not have traditional offices so all of their work is done in transit. In any of these situations, very rarely is a suitable work area available in airports, train stations, bus terminals, and the like. As a result, travelers may feel that they are being unproductive as they wait for an airplane, train, or bus.
Another problem that occurs while business people are traveling is that people are often carrying luggage as well office equipment such as laptop computers while traveling. Trying to carry all of these personal items can become burdensome and cumbersome.
A further problem associated with the use of public transportation is the inability to rest while waiting for a particular mode of transportation. Frequently, airplanes, trains, and buses may run behind schedule or there may be a large gap between connecting flights, trains, or buses. Often the space in waiting rooms or areas is limited so a person may not be able to rest comfortably.
The above-mentioned trends have become quite evident and solutions have been proposed that seek to alleviate the problems associated with working while traveling. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,105,508 to Ryburg discloses a wheeled suitcase with a collapsible table attached thereto. This device, however, does not appear to work effectively without a luggage carrier.
Also, U.S. Pat. No. 6,471,019 to Miller discloses a travel case with a deployable and retractable tray table assembly mounted thereto. Again, however, this table does not appear to be functional without the luggage carrier.
Therefore, a need exists for a portable, collapsible stand that may be attached to luggage, to a seat back or used alone and may be used as a desk, a support surface for a portable computer, or as a headrest.